1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to a mounting apparatus for an external airbag of a vehicle, capable of reducing impact while a vehicle collides by mounting a large external airbag to a side of a vehicle, and applying an external airbag to a practical vehicle.
2. Description of Related Art
Generally, an airbag serves to protect a passenger from an impact produced while a vehicle collides wherein when the impact is sensed by a sensor, gas is supplied rapidly through an inflator to deploy instantly an airbag cushion thereby protecting the passenger on a seat of a vehicle.
The airbag has been arranged generally on an inner part of a vehicle to be deployed on a front side or a lateral side of a passenger. However, recently, an external airbag that is to be deployed outside a vehicle has been studied to decrease further the impact produced while a vehicle collides.
FIG. 1 is a view illustrating an external airbag that is installed on a vehicle according to a related art wherein an external airbag module 2 is housed at a middle of a door panel 1 of a vehicle, and the external airbag module 2 can be deployed by sensing the collision right before a vehicle collides.
An external airbag cushion of the external airbag module 2 is a part to contact directly a colliding vehicle wherein it has to have excellent high pressure and large size, comparing to an usual airbag used in an indoor part of a vehicle, in order for the external airbag to buffer sufficiently the impact produced from a collision of a weighted vehicle.
That is, when a gas pressure supplied while an existing indoor airbag is deployed is 200 kpa or so, a deployed volume of an airbag cushion is to accommodate 60 liters, the external airbag has to have the gas pressure of up to 4000 kpa and the volume of the airbag cushion is to accommodate about 600 liters.
However, a mounting apparatus for the external airbag is not fully prepared and further it is difficult for the external airbag module to be housed at a narrow internal space of a door panel while the external airbag is applied to a practical vehicle.
Further, a weak portion that is opened/closed or torn easily has to be provided separately on an external part of the door panel in order to deploy the external airbag cushion, and for this purpose the door panel has to be changed in its structure thereby affecting adversely a durability and design of a vehicle body.
The information disclosed in this Background of the Invention section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.